What Are the Chances?
by Wolfwhisperer
Summary: Sequel to You're out of Chances- Miley's happy with her new life. She has a new career, and amazing friends. But when a few members of her past move in down the hall, will her new life get turned upside down? T for mild language and adult humor
1. Prologue

**So, here's the trailer for the sequel to You're Out of Chances! That's right, I didn't forget! You all thought I did, didn't you?! Well, I showed you! Now, go R&R!**

"Happy birthday!" Our friends shouted in unision as me and Luann entered the large apartment. Our mouths hung down in surprise, and we shrieked.

"I can't believe my baby sisters' are nineteen!" Jackson shouted in surprise. He ran over and gave us each a hug. Luann had become like a sister to both of us, and so that's what we called her.

"I still can't believe you're old enough to have alcohol," I commented. He just smiled.

"Let's cut the chattin and get to the cake!" Luann demanded, running up to the table and sitting in one of the two seats in front of the triple-layer cake.

I took up the other one, and our friends and family sat (or stood) around. After singing happy birthday, and blowing out our candles (I wished for an exciting year), Zeke cut the cake.

It was marble, and had chocolate frosting.

For presents, we mostly just received a bunch of cash, not that we complained, and gift cards from some of the most popular stores in New York. Sharpay was taking us to her country club this summer, and giving us one of the best rooms. It's nice having rich friends!

That night, I was sitting on the couch reading the final Harry Potter book when I heard a thud in the hallway, followed by a, "Damn it!"

Curious, I looked out the peephole and saw an attractive man picking up a box. He brought it over to room 556, the one across the hall, and drop it in the doorway.

'So they finally managed to sell the place,' I noted in my head. Mr. Aarons and his wife, Eugene, had been regular pains-in-the-ass, and I nearly through a party when I first saw the For Sale sign in the lobby.

They used to come over and accuse me and Luann of stealing their arthritis medication at three in the morning, waking up the entire hallway, screaming at us to give it back.

I rarely had a peaceful nights sleep while they lived across the hall. And there was always a pungent odor of cats and fish when you'd walk by. Thankfully that started to disappear after they'd left.

As this mystery man entered his room, he stub his toe and cussed again. I decided that I better go quiet him before one of my crankier roommates (cough-Sharpay-cough) went out there and threatened his family's jobs for disturbing the peace.

I straightened out my red tank top and quickly ran my fingers through my hair. Grabbing my red Gatsby hat and walked out the door.

"Um, excuse me. You're being kinda loud, and my sister has a test tomorrow, and-" that's when he turned around.

Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me!

**Tehe, I'm so mean. This was just a trailer. The real first chapter won't be out for a little while. I wanna get going on the next couple of them before I really start this. That's also what I'm doing for I Bet I Can.**

**Luv Wendy! :)(: **


	2. Chapter 1

**K, I've had this one for a while, and I wanted to wait til I had a few more chapters done, but I thought you guys deserved some updates before I go out of town. So here ya go!**

**Disclaimer: So, I don't own it. Nothing's changed in the last few months.**

"URGH! Where are they?!" Zoey Marks asked no one in particular as she dug furiously threw her black Prada purse in pursuit of the keys to her loft.

Ok, so technically it wasn't _her loft_. It was shared amongst her and four other people. Her twin sister, Chloe, and their three friends, Gabi, Sharpay, and Taylor.

Her search ended with no avail, and she groaned as she smacked her forehead against the wall. Being a nineteen-year-old living in the middle of New York City was not the easiest thing in the world, especially with no parents to help you out.

No, she wasn't an orphan. She was merely a run-away. She'd left with her sister and older brother at the age of sixteen and hadn't seen her father and step mom since.

Hearing the door across the hall open, her spirits lifted; only to sink again as she saw who was coming out of the door. She got along with everyone on that floor except for one person; him.

Glaring intensely, she asked, "What do _you_ want?"

"Ouch Zoe," he responded, placing a hand over his heart, "that hurt."

She rolled her eyes at his acting. Crossing her arms, she cocked an eyebrow. He had yet to answer her question.

"I heard you groan and shout something, so I thought I'd come see what's wrong," he explained with some sincerity.

"Aww really? How thoughtful!" Almost instantly it regained the anger and hatred. "Too bad I don't care." She turned her back to him and proceeded in searching her purse. When he still didn't leave, she added, "I got this. You can go away."

"Hm, ok. I just thought you'd like _this_ back," he offered, holding out a little golden key with a smug look on his face.

Her face fell, and she slowly extended her hand and took the key from him. "How'd you get this?" And yeah, that was supposed to sound accusatory.

"I used my super-secret ninja skills and grabbed them out of your purse in the elevator," he answered sarcastically. Her glare forced out the truth, "It fell out and I saw it lying on the ground. You're just lucky I got a hold of it before some creep did."

"Yeah, thankfully it wasn't a creep," she said with her own sarcasm.

"Well, that's the last time I do something nice for you," he huffed, walking across the hall back to his over-sized bachelor pad.

This antagonist of hers lived right next door to her friends, Troy, Chad, Zeke, and Ryan. Poor guys.

She opened the door only to see her sister sitting on the black leather couch with a bag of potato chips watching a rerun of Nick Pacific.

"Hey, where were you?" Chloe asked as Zoe hung up her coat and tossed her purse on the counter.

"Outside, trying to get in."

"Lost your key again?" she asked all-knowingly.

"Yes. And HE found it." she added.

"By HE, do you mean-?"

"Of course!"

He'd moved in a little over a year before, starting college at Colombia. Zoe still had a hard time believing the coincidence. Or bad luck, irony, karma. However you wanted to put it. At least, that's what she hoped it was.

"What'cha watching?" she asked, plopping down next to Chloe and taking a chip from her bag.

"Eh, just an old Nick Pacific." The show went to a commercial.

"_And coming up next on This Week in Hollywood, Zoe Marks. She came out of no where and took the world by storm in her blockbuster hit, Anaconda," _a reporter announced over the plasma screen.

"EEK! Miles, did ya hear that?!"

"Lu, I don't think I can hear anything right now," she remarked, rubbing her ear in hopes of returning the sound to it.

Ok, so her name hadn't always really been Zoe Marks. But when you run away, you can't keep your name. So, instead the three of them had changed theirs. Zoe's real name had been Miley Stewart. Chloe's was Luann Stewart, and wasn't her ACTUAL sister. She was really just Miley's freakishly identical cousin. And, last of all, their 'older brother' Joey, was really Miley's older brother, Jackson.

After her secret being revealed over national TV by her father and step mom, Miley called up Jackson and thanked him a thousand times for coming up with the new identity thing.

The secret: Miley had an alter ego named Hannah Teen Pop Sensation Montana. The public's nick name, not hers.

But they didn't just change their names. Jackson dyed his hair from dirty blonde to almost black. Sorta like Oliver's shade.

Miley and Luann now each bore black hair, but Miley's tips were red and Luann's were blue. Miley's hair hung over the right half of her face, while Luann's hung over the left.

"Well, get some hearing aids and watch This Week in Hollywood with me!" Luann shouted.

"OW! And shouldn't you be studying? I'm not paying for you to get kicked out of college," Miley reminded her cousin.

"Hmm… Nah."

Miley's eyebrow cocked and Luann begrudgingly lifted herself off the black leather couch.

"Kay. See ya in three hours!" She said with perky sarcasm as she walked around the couch, up the two stairs, past the kitchen, down the hall, up the spiral staircase, and into her bedroom. She made sure to slam the door.

"Really, we're supposed to be sisters. Not mother and daughter!"

Miley watched her go, and as soon as the door was officially slammed shut three times, she grabbed the bag of chips and moved to the middle of the couch, swinging her legs up into a laying position.

Her relaxation didn't last long. Taylor arrived shortly after Luann's departure, followed quickly by Gabi and Sharpay.

Taylor and Gabi took up seats next to Miley, and Sharpay snagged the armchair. It wasn't very long until Troy, Chad, Zeke, and Ryan were all over watching the documentary on Zoe Marks.

"And that concludes our 'Where's Brittany Now?' segment. Now, up next, this starlet came out of nowhere, and quickly made a rise to fame. Zoe Marks, who has just confirmed her part as the lead in the upcoming TV show, High School Reunion, has become a major hit with young adults across the country," the hostess of This Week in Hollywood started on the plasma TV mounted over the automatic fireplace.

"And, when we come back, we'll cover her now costar, Jake Ryan's change and what he's been up too. Stick around." Miley's mouth fell agape. Why hadn't anyone bothered to tell her before she took the role?!

Ignoring her friend's pleas to not do anything drastic, Miley lifted herself off the couch, sprinted up the steps, and bolted out the door.

She was across the hall in two seconds, banging on the door belonging to the bane of her current existence. She had been pounding so furiously that, when he opened the door, she hit his forehead.

She cared not a single bit as she immediately asked, "What the hell?"

Ignoring his pounding head, he replied, "So I take it you saw This Week in Hollywood," he assumed, smirking at her 'PO'ed look.

"Uh, YEAH! Ya think I wouldn't find out?!"

"Well, I guessed when you showed up on set-"

"THAT WAS RETORICAL!" His mouth formed an 'O' shape. "This is so not fair!" She whined to herself.

"Aww come on, I know you wanna kiss me."

"There's a kiss?!" she asked, getting flustered all over again.

"Oops, you didn't know? Yeah, I'm playing your boyfriend."

"Oh, that director is gonna be in deep shit when I see him!" She had started talking to herself again. It was then she noticed boxes. She stopped her pacing and stared up at him.

"Are you moving?!" she took no attempt to hide her hopefulness. Her eyes were wide, and she had moved to the door frame.

"No, but nice to now how much I mean to you. A couple friends are moving in with me," he explained. "Oh, there they are," he added, pointing at the pair behind Zoey.

When she turned around to look, her quizzical face changed to shock and despair. This could NOT be happening to her!

**Ok, so sorry if the cussing offends people, but they're nineteen. Please review!**

**Luv Wendy! :)(:**


	3. Chapter 2

**Wow, dudes, I started this like, a month ago, and then just totally forgot to finish it! Sorry, I've been writing other things. Oh, and if you've seen the trailer, then you already know the new neighbors, instead of having to wait a whole five more seconds until after you read this to find out.**

"Lilly, Oliver?!" Miley asked disbelievingly. They gave her strange looks. "I-I was a fan of Hannah, or Miley, I guess," she added and understanding looks crossed their faces. "Why are you living with Jake?!"

"Cause we forgave him once he explained himself," Lilly explained and Oliver nodded. He stared straight at her with a searching look on his face. She gave him a look much like the one he and Lilly had just been giving her.

"I'm Zoe." After a pause, she decided, "And I should be going." She looked down at her pretend watch before scratching the back of her head. "Nice to finally meet you guys." She turned around and started walking down the hall.

"Watch this," Jake whispered amusedly. "Bye Zoey!" He even waved his fingers.

In response, Miley held up her hand. With her fingers, she made a W, which she turned into an E, followed by an L, all without turning around or slowing down. Jake shook his head. Oliver quizzically glanced between Lilly and Jake, waiting for an explanation.

Holding up her fingers in the same way, Lilly said, "What Ever Loser."

"Oh. Wow, she's bitter."

"Told ya."

"But you're right. Up close, it's definitely her," Oliver agreed and Lilly nodded.

"Well, let's finish getting you two moved in." Jake picked up one of their boxes and walked back into the loft.

Later that day, as Luann and Miley were coming back from the groomers, Lilly was bringing in yet another box. Luann's scream made her drop the box. There was a ton of clanking, giving off the impression that there were pots and pans in it. Lilly held a hand to her heart in a calming attempt.

"Sorry, I-"

"She's been studying too hard. I've been telling her to take a break and just relax," Miley explained sarcastically. "Chloe, Lilly, and vice versa."

"Hi," Lilly greeted breathlessly. Luann nodded her head. "Whoa, you guys have dogs?!" she exclaimed, noticing the young setters connected to leashes with the girls' colors.

Miley's was a deep red Irish Setter that was wiggling excitedly, while Luann's was a Gordon Setter that was taking refuge behind his mother's legs.

"Yeah, this is Copper and-" Lilly cut her off.

"Penny?" she asked.

"No, Indie," Luann answered as though it were obvious. "Short for Indigo." Lilly's mouth formed an O. "Well, we better get them inside. Getting groomed makes them tired," Miley decided after a long, awkward silence. Luann nodded, and they turned to their door. Just as the door was open, as was Lilly's, there was a clanking of heels, followed by:

"Mi-" Sharpay was immediately cut off by Luann's violent coughing while not-so-subtly jerking her head towards Lilly. "oh, my have I been looking everywhere for you guys," she finished awkwardly. Miley and Luann each puffed out a relieved sigh.

They went into the house. "Nice one, Shar!" Miley shouted.

"How was I spose to know that your old best friend was right across the hall?! Wait, why was your old best friend right across the hall?"

"She and Oliver moved in with Jake, meaning we all have to be three times as careful! No real names outside these walls!" Luann instructed.

"Or when Jake comes over to rehearse," Miley added. The other two girls gave her strange looks. "As soon as he tells the director that we're neighbors-which he will, seeing as he currently lives to annoy me-he'll be making us practice almost constantly."

"Can't you go to his place?" Sharpay asked.

"He'll wanna come here, again, to bug me."

"Kick him out!" Luann demanded.

"Sharpay, what was so important that you nearly blew our cover trying to tell us?" Miley asked, still on edge about Lilly almost finding out. Since she was aligned with Jake, she was now the enemy in Miley's eyes. Wow, her life had suddenly become a war.

"Oh, um, darn it! I forgot!" the blonde whined, stomping up the stairs in self-frustration. Miley and Luann followed her with their eyes; looks of incredulousness in each pair.

--

Beep, beep, beep, SLAM! Why did anyone have to make alarm clocks so loud?! Zoey flipped up her red tie-dye comforter and groaned. Today was the first meeting of her TV show, and she needed to be up by 5:30. So of course, she set her alarm clock for quarter to six.

She jumped into a very quick shower, and was thankful she'd gotten her hair chemically straightened. She'd never have time to even think about fussing around with flat irons.

By the time she'd managed to dry her hair, it was almost 6:30. She needed to be across town by seven, which was nearly impossible with morning traffic.

She ran over to her closet, looking through all her blacks and reds… and a blue? She tossed that on her bed, mentally noting to give it to Luann when she got home.

She pulled out her TrippRed and Black Plaid Short-Sleeved Corset Top from Hot Topic. The only reason she knew the whole name was that she bought it online. It was really hard shopping in stores when you'd starred in one of the most popular horror films of the year.

She ran out of her room and felt a breeze. She decided that pants and shoes were kind of essential. So, she opened her door and ran back in her room. Thankfully, she left the closet door open, shaving three seconds off her time.

She grabbed the nearest pair of pants that, thankfully, matched her shirt. A pair of black skinny jeans with red straps hanging from her front and back pockets.

As she was about to quickly smear on some make up, a realization hit her. She was the star! They couldn't start the meeting without her. She took her time caking on mascara, red lipstick, gray eye shadow, and black eyeliner. The more she hid herself, the less chance anyone had of recognizing her. One could never be too careful when it came to fans.

She went over and grabbed her winged heart necklace, black and red splatter three row pyramid stud wristband for her right wrist, red star watch for her left, and a pair of red skull earrings.

She put on a pair of socks, and then searched around for her red extra hi top sneakers. She laced them up over her pants and looked herself over in her full body mirror, coming to the conclusion that she needed a hat. She found her red fedora hat and finally decided she was ready. That time happened to be exactly seven o' five. She grabbed her red handbag off of her dresser and exited her room.

She silently left the loft and went down the hall. The elevator took a good two minutes to arrive, so she occupied herself by tapping her foot and crossing her arms, occasionally glancing at her watch.

After she made it to the lobby, Miley raced out onto the sidewalk in an attempt to hail a cab. One finally stopped for her, and clearly recognized her from the movie. He didn't move for five minutes. He was too preoccupied getting an autograph and a picture.

"And then there was still traffic that we had to wait through," Miley finished explaining to the table of her costars, the director, and a few of the writers. Not one single person looked like they cared. She awkwardly took her seat.

"Now, where were we?" Omar, the director, asked the table, confirming that Miley had been wrong. They could start a meeting without her.

"Now, seeing as Miss Marks like to be fashionably late," Miley smiled innocently at her coworkers, "she should be spending time outside rehearsing her lines." He sent her a not-so-subtle look.

"Well, I could just make sure she's up in the mornings."

'_Here it comes! It was bound to happen!_'

"After all, I live in the same building, and on the same floor, as Zoe," Jake explained.

"He shouldn't do that!" When everyone gave her curious looks, she added, "My roommates are terrible in the mornings! And waking them up so early would be like, suicide! I'm just looking out for Jake. No need to thank me." She ended modestly.

When she opened her eyes to see Omar staring at her so harshly, she uttered something she never thought possible. "Or I could give him a key?"

"Good idea Zoe! Now, back to business!"

Miley groaned, banging her head repeatedly against the table as everyone else pretended not to notice. Jake smirked to himself. Things were going just as he planned.

**As it turns out, forgetting about a chapter makes one want to reread it to remember where one was at. And rereading tends to make one notice mistakes one had made. Meaning that this one should be a lot more grammatically correct than others! **

**Also, I've found that writing is done a lot better when one gets into one's character. And this main character happens to be in a character that's sarcastic, meaning the style of writing plus one's AN's might tend to be in the same manor. Now one will shut up and let one's fans review!**

**Luv OneD! :)(: (get it?! Wendy, Onedy! Tehe!) **


	4. Chapter 3

**Ick, I'm getting REALLY bad at updating! I'm sorry! I've just been trying to finish up the difficult stories. IE, I'd Lie, I Bet I Can, Now I've Found You and the Best of Friends sequel. Not to mention work on Holiday Tales (Halloween), Straight Out of the Movies (very tough) and the prequel to Summer Romance. So I'm very busy! Oh yeah, and my friend insisted on writing a story on FictionPress. So we dropped Family Secrets (so sad) and picked up The Life and Times of Seaside Academy! Check it out! Now, enough of my babbling. Mostly just making mental notes! Enjoy!**

"Ok Zoe, show us what you got," Omar instructed. It had been exactly one week since that disastrous first meeting. And since then, things had only gotten, well, worse.

The first day, Jake went over to her apartment nearly a half hour before she even needed to be awake. He woke her with the ever-wonderful water gun. He nearly lost his nose to her fist.

The day after that, (a Wednesday) he walked in on her in the shower. Nearly lost his eyes to her nails.

On Thursday morning he grew a brain and knocked. But he didn't grow a big one. What he didn't think to do was knock softly. He woke up Luann, who was sleeping in the room over, and he nearly lost his foot to hers.

When Friday decided to show its big, beautiful head, he walked in and shut off her snooze button. He was about to end up in the hospital for a broken jaw. She restrained herself by merely hitting him in his not-so-soft (cause she refused to call it muscular) abdomen repeatedly.

And on Saturday he lost what little brains he'd managed to uncover by waking her up at 5:30 AM. Either he was even dumber than she thought, or he had an effing death-wish.

And so it was today (Monday) when he finally decided to simply wait in the downstairs living room for her to get ready. Too bad they were still sharing cabs to save money and gas. Way to go green Omar!

Finally, they arrived at the studio after she was forced to play nice for the cab-driver who apparently drove reporters around frequently. They occasionally asked him about celebrities he'd driven. 'Just for conversation, of course'.

Now they were at a small theatre in downtown New York, with just Omar, Miley, Luann, Jake, Jackson, and a few select members of the crew. Oh, and Lilly and Oliver had decided to tag along, making the morning's cab ride three-times as enjoyable! Miley had somehow, with her bad luck, managed to snag shot gun, and in doing so, got stared at by the cab driver. They'd nearly crashed into everything imaginable. Back to why they were at a theatre.

Jake had heard Miley singing in the apartment one day and decided to volunteer her for "Theme Song Duty". So on top of the early-morning wake-ups, she'd also spent the last week writing a song that would be perfect to introduce her show. What she was about to sing wasn't it.

Luann, who was majoring in advertisement (which included music in her field) sat with a laptop off to the side of the stage, using the top of a piano as her desk. She began to play some strange buzz-sounding music that she and Miley had been messing around with in their spare time. That was followed by some fast drums.

Then Miley began to sing. It took every fiber of her being not to laugh.

_I see a red door_

_And I want it painted black_

Omar shared a look of contempt with Jake-who was already laughing with Lilly and Oliver-before glancing back at Miley.

_No colors anymore_

_I want them to turn black_

"Stop, just stop!" cried the director, who looked completely appalled. Miley put her voice into its best innocent voice, pretending not to see his horrified face.

"Is there a problem?" as Luann tried her hardest to hold back the laughter bubbling in her stomach. She flipped her blue-tinted hair into her face.

"Are you frickin serious?!" Lilly and Oliver burst out laughing again while Jake watched, amused.

The twins shared a look that started out as anger, before they burst into laughter.

Miley shook her head, and her mouth tried to form the word 'no' but she had to double-over clutching her stomach from how shocked, angry, relieved Omar looked. Luann had actually fallen out of chair, but her laughter numbed the pain.

"But you-haha-you should've seen the-hahaha-look on your face!" Miley roared, slapping her knee.

"It wasn't _that_ funny," Jake stated. Immediately, the girls stopped laughing. He received a glare from Miley. A special glare that only she can provide him. One that she reserves especially for him. It used to be known to him as the heart-twister, but is now just considered routine.

Omar was now rubbing his temples. "Can we please just hear the real song?! We don't have all day!"

Miley nodded, walking back up to the microphone and signaling Luann. The laptop was again playing music created by the two. But this time, it was a catchy tune. It was the sound of trashcan drums and regular drums, followed in short by a continuing drumroll and then a piano.

_I know_

_You know_

_We don't_

_See_

_And so our_

_Truths wait_

_Patiently_

_I walk the street with a song in my head_

_We ebb and we flow so_

_Got my toes on my pup _

_At the foot of my bed_

_The heart always seems to know_

_Now take the glitz back_

_I want the soul instead_

_Cuz I found some kind of fairytale_

Omar and the crew were bopping their heads with the beat by that point, while Lilly, Oliver, and Jake merely stood there; listening. To everyone else, it just seemed like a catchy tune. But to these three, well, it was obvious she was describing her current situation to them. They were also a bit shocked that something so deep and profound could come from the same girl who, at the age of five, wrote a song about bunnies stealing money. Boy how times had changed.

_I used to _

_Hover_

_Outside my_

_Truth_

_Always _

_Worried_

_Of what I'd lose_

She didn't hide the fact that she was staring directly at her ex boyfriend/bestfriends as she sang the next lines.

_Take away my record deal_

_Go on, I don't need it_

_Spent the last two years getting to what's real_

_And now I can see so clear_

It had actually been two and a half, but she wasn't really concerned. She looked back to Omar.

_I hope you feel just like I feel_

_I found some kind of fairytale_

The piano went on by itself for a while, only the sounds of her random recorded vocals keeping the tune company as she stared at her shoes for the dramatic pause. It lasted for a good ten and a half seconds before she picked up the lyrics again.

_Want a garden by the ocean tide_

_Because I lose my way_

_Searching for stage lights_

Oh, and Mikayla(who was playing Miley's character's best friend)'s character's name is Stevie. Think that was a random statement? Think again…

_Well Stevie knows_

_And I thank her so_

_Cuz it's your seeds I sow_

_And now I know_

The rest of the song was purely for the show, though parts of it did still fit her life. But the name of her show was Nolita Fairytale.

_Nolita flat on rent control_

_That's the life I choose_

_Can't drag me to the fashion show_

Lilly's mouth would've hit the floor had she been able to unhinge her jaw like a snake. However, it was condemned to meekly hanging open while her bright blue eyes popped out of her face. Jake just nodded.

_The poses that I see through_

_Ruby's in the afternoon_

_Cause I found some kind of fairy _

(brief chime sound)_ tale_

_Hey!_

_Nolita fairytale_

_Nolita fairytale_

_Nolita fairytale_

_Nolita fairytale_

_Nolita fairytale_

The song ended the same way it began, and Miley was breathing hard. It had been a long time since she'd sang on a stage, and she must've gotten lost in the beat. Omar, who had been stunned to silence, had begun to clap; as well as everyone else. Miley shared a high five with Luann.

--

"So Zoe, how excited are you to be starring in your first ever TV show?"

'Well ya know Jill, I've only answered that question on every SINGLE talk show I've visited in the last three months,' Miley thought sarcastically in her head as she refrained from rolling her eyes.

Instead she chose to recite, "It's one of the most exciting moments of my life!" for what felt like the umpteenth time. She was currently on the red carpet, where a handful of famous people and those that had won some contest or another were waiting to enter the building that would be premiering the pilot episode of Nolita Fairytale. First they had to pass through security to make sure there were no recording devices and/or cameras on their person.

Of course, Miley would've loved to take credit for the huge popularity of the show. But alas, she could not. No, the reason her show was so hyped was because this would be Jake Ryan's first show as a regular cast member since zombie high.

It had taken Hannah fans a while to get over his betrayal, but not too long after his album release had his fans, Hannah's fans, and even a few of Orlando Blooms fans had decided to forgive the blonde ego-maniac. Not to mention all the Hannah-haters out there who praised him for 'disposing of the blonde southern hick once and for all!' Their words, not hers.

Needless to say, Jake Ryan's popularity was at an all-time high. And it was no surprise that when he showed up, the reporters ditched Miley for the multi-millionaire. He smiled and waved, Lilly and Oliver following close behind so as not to get lost in the crowd.

Miley had also brought along a few guests. Gabi, Troy, Sharpay, Ryan, Kelsi, Zeke, Chad, and Taylor were already inside though. Luann and Jackson would've been too had a few of the reporters not asked to interview them about their about her sister's newfound fame.

Miley tried her hardest to avoid Jake, who would most likely want to get pictures with her. It was all part of his creepish obsession with her. At times she wondered if he knew her secret. But then she realized that Jake, especially this one, would already be at his wits end trying to woo her had he known.

Her plan had succeeded for nearly a half and hour, until the man who was currently interviewing her spotted Jake and called him over. The blonde smiled as soon as he saw Miley.

"Hey Zoe!" he pulled her into a hug, and she was forced to return it. She tried to pull away, but he held on for a good ten seconds longer than necessary. Well, it was probably two but it felt WAY longer in her head.

After Rob was done prying into their lives (ie. interviewing them) another reporter came over to chat with the two. And so, for the rest of their scheduled two hours of interviewing, Jake and the hidden-Miley were stuck together, answering questions about the show and their rumored relationship. Yes, people had managed to start it. Someone had taken the time to wake up early enough to capture pictures of them leaving her loft (though they failed to catch any of him entering two minutes before) and sharing a cab to their set.

"No, we definitely aren't dating," Miley assured someone yet again for the night as Jake simply smiled. He was being absolutely no help to her at all. Asshole.

And with that closing statement, the last of the guests entered the building to enjoy their masterpiece that is their new television show.

**So, there it is. Chapter 3. Please be kind and review! I worked REALLY hard on this!**

**Luv Wendy! :)(:**


	5. Chapter 4

**So, here's chapter four. Not much to say.**

"Oh my gosh Oliver, look!" Lilly exclaimed from the living room. Jake was only vaguely aware of the two as he sat on his bed, his laptop resting on his legs, reading through a blog. "It's my old Britney Spears CD!" the blonde shouted excitedly. There was the sound of a CD slot being opened on a computer, followed quickly by it closing.

Jake tried his best to ignore it. He continued reading the blog. It was all about Miley Stewart-slash-Hannah Montana.

_OMG, what a loser! Ooh, so her dad got remarried! Big fat whoop! There are so many worse off kids out there, and she has to go try and make everyone else feel bad for her._

That comment was posted four hours ago. Jake hit the reply button.

_Well, she WAS leading a secret life. That would've been enough stress for me to leave too. Plus, her stepmom only married her dad for their money, and when she tried to warn him he laughed in her face. And she isn't trying to make anyone feel bad for her. If she did, she'd come out of hiding and tell the world what really happened instead of letting people like you make up lies about her. _

He didn't worry that there was no way a simple fan could've known that much about her life as Miley. Let the readers think what they want. He scrolled down, reading the various hate messages and the few defensive ones. He came to another that made him stop.

_She is such a coward. Why doesn't she stop hiding from her problems? I thought she 'Had Nerve'. Guess I was wrong. _

This comment had been posted a few months earlier. But again, he hit reply.

_Sure, hiding isn't the best thing for her rep. But maybe she's just not ready to face the world and their questions yet. Her own father betrayed her on national television just a few months after she ran away. And he'd more than likely try to find her once she did reveal herself, trying to convince her that Candy is really a sweet woman and was just as concerned about her as he was and other bullshit. If I were her I'd be making the same choices she is._

_And another thing, this is probably a bigger issue for her pride than it is for our confusion. Just try seeing things from her perspective._

This was how Jake spent his free time. Ever since it had become known that haters were starting forums and blogs Jake would make various accounts on each one he found and would try to help curve the negativity away from her. But despite his efforts, he'd get responses like this.

_Miley or Hannah or whatever the hell her name is isn't as deep as you say. She's just hiding cuz she can't face the music. Not that she ever could. Why don't you get a life and stop wasting it fantasizing about her?!_

Not to be outdone, Jake would respond with:

_If I don't have a life, what does that make you? You wrote the comment in the first place, and then took the time to respond._

The person, ChiefLongCock38, later wrote on to say:

_Go suck a dick._

He never got around to responding to Jake's retort:

_Wow, how long did that take you to think up?_

Of course no one knew it was Jake. He probably sounded like a girl to them with all his insightfulness. But he didn't care. The only thing he cared about was getting people to see the truth. But how could he? How would it be possible to reach such a wide audience with this message while still keeping his identity a secret?

_Cuz I can promise you, _

_Baby, what you see is what you get_

Jake rolled his eyes. Lilly was still listening to her CD. He set his laptop aside, pushing himself off the foam mattress. He was just about to open his door and ask Lilly to turn the volume down when lyrics to the next song froze him in place. Could his answer really be that simple? He was about to find out.

--

"What's with him? Luann asked as she and Miley returned from their manicures. Jake brushed passed them without a word, which was highly unusual for him. After all, his sole purpose seemed to be annoying the hell out of 'Zoe'. That scheme included a cheerful hello every time he saw her; a clear way to let her know that her attitude had no affect on him. But, obviously, this wasn't as important to him as they'd thought.

"I dunno. This is the first time I've seen him in a week," Miley explained, pushing open the door to the loft.

"Weird."

Their conversation was interrupted by Gabi, who appeared out of nowhere, engulfing them both in an air dissipating embrace. "You guys won't believe what happened today!" she started after pulling away.

"Uh, Troy proposed?" Luann guessed. Gabi's excited smile fell.

"How'd you know?!"

"Uh, who do you think helped pick out the ring?" Miley asked, hopping over the two steps that led to the entertainment area. She dropped down onto the leather couch and spread herself out, leaving no room for Luann or Gabriella. They each took a recliner.

"Sharpay and her overly expensive taste in everything?" Luann asked, stealing the remote control from her cousin, who had it pointed at the TV in midair. She ignored Miley's whiny protest. "Ah-ah."

"That was all us," Miley added, grabbing a chip from the bowl on the coffee table and popping it in her mouth.

"Well then," was all Gabi said, crossing her arms over her chest and settling herself deeper into the chair.

"So, back to Jake," Luann started, ignoring the rerun of Nick Pacific that she's settled on. Miley groaned.

"Are you talking about him being MIA for the past week?" Gabriella asked, forgetting the irritation at her surprise being ruined. She could never hold a grudge. When she received their strange looks she added, "What?! I watch CSI."

"Anyway, what I wanna know is what he's up to. You know he's planning something," Luann continued.

"There's no way for us to find out. It's not like we talk to him," Miley reminded, her underlying message of 'don't get involved with him' not wasted on them.

"Yeah, it's just so strange," Gabriella stated. The subject was changed back to her engagement.

--

"Come on Liza, I know you have it," Jake argued with the vexatious photographer. She ignored him for a moment, instead taking a snapshot of some singer he'd never heard of. After a few more snapshots, she turned and looked at him with a sigh.

"So what if I do?" she asked."What's it worth to you?"

He smirked, reaching into his pocket. When he turned to look at her, his eyebrow was raised smugly. In his hand was a large wad of cash. "I believe this…" he waved it in front of her face, "should cover it." The right corner of his mouth turned upward into a small smile.

--

A few days after her strange encounter with Jake in the hall, Miley was sitting alone in the loft, scrolling through gossip sites on her computer. Some people were so stupid. They would claim to have seen her-Miley and/or Hannah-walking down the street. Being the worrywart she is, Miley clicked on the links. One person said they saw her in Canada, hiking through the snow in snowshoes. She rolled her eyes.

She'd just finished reading a story about her alleged trip to Australia-a country/continent she'd never been visited-when the ping announcing a new E-Mail sounded. Curious, she clicked on her E-Mail button.

It was from YouTube. Someone had sent her a video. She froze as soon as she read the title.

**And I'll leave it at that. I'm working on the next chapter as you read this. So the sooner you review the sooner you get an update!**

**Luv Wendy! :)(:**


	6. Chapter 5

**Sorry, woulda been up a few days ago, but for some inexplicable reason, FanFiction wouldn't let me log in. But here it is now! Oh, and xScarlettDesirex finally updated after six billion years! Read the AN and/or annonymous review and you'll see why! ;P**

**Alright, this chapter may bore you. To view it, go to my YouTube Channel and watch my video 'Is Miley Really Lucky?' though you should probably read the description if you do. I would very much appreciate it if you did read it though. And review. They make me smile!**

Jake sighed at his computer. Who would've thought one little project could cause a person so much stress?! Luckily Omar's wife finally had her baby and the entire cast was on a two week break. A two week break that ended in two days.

Tracking down clips had been hard. The hardest was managing to get a home video from Dolly Parton. First he had to fly all the way to Nashville. Then he had the door slammed in his face several times in one day. And in the end he was forced to explain his plan and convince her he was truly sorry for what he had done.

He also had to go back to Malibu and get in touch with Aaron Sanders, Seaview Middle School's former video photographer, and then wait a whole day and a half for him to find the tape.

But, watching over the final product, Jake decided that was all worth it. Now how to get it on YouTube? He figured he could easily make his own account, but he didn't wanna do that. Too many questions would arise from his mysterious clips. A thought struck him.

He quickly sent the video in an E-Mail to himself and then shut his laptop. Thankfully, he was alone. Lilly and Oliver had gone out to some fancy new restaurant and he was home free. He snuck out onto the computer in the living room and opened his E-Mail. He saved the video to the computer and then went to YouTube.

--

Pictures of Hannah Montana flew over her screen, each about two seconds long. The beat of the song sounded familiar, but with all the music she'd listened to in her life it was impossible for Miley to name it.

_This is the story about a girl named Lucky_

"Oh, the old Britney Spears song," she noted. As more pictures of her former alter-ego popped up on the screen, Miley looked down at her t-shirt. It was gray at the shoulders, fading into black at the bottom. But over the chest the brand name, Lucky was printed in red. "Creepy."

The last picture of her faded out to white, and the beginning of her music video for Start All Over began playing.

_Early morning_

_She wakes up_

It switched to the opening of one of her old interviews for her tour.

_Knock, knock, knock, on the door_

Next was a clip from her Backstage Secrets where they were getting her ready.

_It's time for makeup_

Then there was the end of a concert where she was smiling really big, followed by the cheering audience.

_Perfect smile_

_It's who we're all waiting for, baby_

She watched the bridge and the chorus in fascination, wondering who would make this for her. But when the end of the chorus came around her fascination turned into fear.

_Why do these tears come at night?_

For those lines, the video's creator played the clip of her in eighth grade confessing her love for Jake Ryan. She could feel her eyes bugging out of her head.

It wasn't too long before another shocking clip appeared in the video.

_And the world is spinning_

Again, it was from eighth grade. This time, the Seventies Dance; when she was twirling over to dance with Jake. She remembered they had filmed parts of the dance, but she never knew they'd gotten her on film.

Her suspicions were pushed to the back of her mind as memories of her old life came flooding back to her with each passing clip. It nearly brought tears to her eyes-ironically.

Near the end of the video, just as she'd managed to forget the stalkerish clips from before, another one showed up. She'd expected to see it a long time ago, and was surprised that this was the first time.

_If there's nothing_

_Missing in my life then_

_Why do these tears come at night?_

It was the first take when filming her perfume commercial… the one that she'd gagged in. Maybe she was thinking too hard. Maybe they'd come out on some website that she hadn't heard of. That had to be it.

But she managed to finish the video, singing along for the last chorus-though it was strained from all the tears choking up in her throat. After it was over, she switched out of full screen mode and read the comment that was already there.

_OMG, that was such a sweet video! I'm sure Miley would love it! BTW, where did you get the clips in 1:02, 1:16, and 3:00? I've never seen them before!_

_Strange_, she thought. Luckily the creator had responded.

_I didn't get them from the internet, if that's what you're asking. I… know some people._

Miley gulped. What else did this person know? _Too much, if they're E-Mailing me this video without an explanation_, she decided. She scrolled back up and clicked on the penname. Just by reading it, though, she had a pretty good assumption. _Lillypad365_.

And sure enough, after she clicked on the profile, there was her former best friend staring back at her from the background image. She had a few videos before that, mostly just the two of them doing weird things when they were younger. Miley sighed. Then she panicked. If Lilly knew her secret, there was a great possibility that Jake knew.

Shoving the fears into a remote corner of her brain, Miley went back to the video and replied to that person's comment.

_I agree, I'm sure this would mean the world to her._

--

"What the?" Lilly asked later that day as she checked her E-Mail. Jake and Oliver looked up from the TV. "I don't even remember posting this video," she continued to mumble to herself. Jake, eyes wide, looked back to the football game playing out of the plasma screen.

Oliver completely unaware of his friend's reaction, walked over to Lilly. "What video?"

Lilly clicked on it and the couple watched, Jake getting up and joining. While they watched the video he looked over the stats. There was already over three hundred views, and he'd posted it barely an hour ago. He smirked to himself and his amazing movie-making skills.

When the video ended, the Lilly and Oliver turned to Jake with matching looks of suspicion. "What?" he asked innocently. Lilly's right brow rose a fraction of an inch while Oliver's eyes circled his sockets. "Well, everyone's been dissing on her, and I just wanted to state my opinion!" he answered their looks defensively.

"So you had to use my account?! You know she knows who I am!"

"Exactly, which means she may start talking to you again!" the movie star pointed out.

Lilly raised her index finger to reiterate, but stopped when she realized he was right. "Huh, that's actually not a bad idea."

"Thank you," Jake expressed with an exasperated tone, then walked off to his room.

--

"So, everyone, we know that the season finale is coming up," Omar announced, nearly a month after the mysterious YouTube video had been posted. It had become one of the most popular videos on the web, and it was widely known the Zoe Marks was one of the first to comment.

She'd been asked about it, and Jackson, being the surprisingly remarkable manager that he is, had came up with an incredible, and simple, response.

"_I used to be a fan of hers_," Miley told Brenda on Breakfast with Brenda, the East Coast version of Wakeup, it's Wendy.

Unlike Jake's plan, Miley ignored all three of them completely. Jake would say something cocky and annoying to her, she'd walk away. Lilly would smile and give her a greeting, Miley would stare at her departing shoes. When Oliver knocked on the door to borrow some milk, Miley sat on the couch flipping through TV channels until he went away.

Now neither party made any attempt to acknowledge the other, save for Jake and Miley's show where they were forced to be ex lovers still harboring feelings for one another. That was always fun.

"And I have a few announcements to make about it," Omar continued after everyone stopped groaning about their upcoming end. Sure, the ratings were good. But after season one is the time where a lot of shows get cut. Plus, the cast and crew, again save for Jake and Miley, got along great. It really was like one big, happy family. "First, we're finally writing in the big kiss!" Miley choked on her half-chewed bagel.

"Excuse me?!" she said, her mouth still full. She flushed as mushed up pieces of bagel went flying across the table.

"Come on Zoe, you had to see this coming," Jake stated from his seat next to her. She glared at him; she wasn't one to take being made a fool of sitting down.

"And," the director continued, shooting Miley a pointed scowl, "we're gonna have a very special guest star coming in as Zoe's father, a man who has just been released from prison for assaulting her."

Murmurs arose on who this mystery guest might be.

"Everyone, settle down," he ordered calmly. He'd been expecting as much. "Now, playing Zoe's dad will be none other than media bad-boy, Robby Ray Stewart!"

Miley felt her jaw hit the table, and didn't care if that meant everyone had a clear view of her nearly finished breakfast.

**So, this is a tad short, but I wanted to update and announce why it took me so long to update. I was making a Twilight video! It's up on YouTube, and it took FOREVER to save on my computer.**

**Please review, cuz you know you want to!**

**Luv Wendy! :)(: **


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